BLACK MAGIC

Southland Times, Issue 21362, 7 April 1931, Page 8

BLACK MAGIC

STRIKE IN KENYA COLONY. HOW IT WAS SETTLED. A good story of “Black Magic” comes from Kenya Colony in Africa. It recalls Rider Haggard’s account, in “King Solomon’s Mines,” of the astute manner in which an eclipse of the sun was utilized to bewilder and subdue hostile natives. The scene of action was a maize farm in the Solai Valley; there were 600 acres of maize which had to be harvested quickly as the rainy season was approaching. A mixed gang of Kikuyu and Lumbwa natives were engaged on the harvest work and for the first week all went well. On the Monday of the second week the head man reported the complete cessation of work of all the KikuyUs. It was found that two of the Lumbwa, having made unsuccessful love to two Kikuyu maidens, had laid a curse on the girls, one of w’hom lay at death’s door ’ and the other felt very poorly. The Kikuyus refused to work until the curse was lifted. As the Kikuyu formed the greater part of the gang, it was very important to get them back on the job quickly so it was up to the manager to get a “snappy” solution forthwith. First he ascertained the names of the two “cursers,” then he stopped all work and had the whole gang up in front of his house in their tribal sections. Having delivered a long harangue to the effect that his spirit was troubled by bad medicine in the affairs of the estate and that being a bit of a medicine man himself he brooked no rivals, the manager also stated that he felt the trouble lay in the Lumbwa section. He then caused all the Lumbwa—ls in all —to stand forward and gave each one a stone to hold. The manager then poured water on each stone explaining that his magic would cause the stones held by the guilty man to smoke and crack. This caused considerable mirth until it was seen that the stones in the hands of the two “cursers” were definitely smoking. Carbide of calcium looks very like the local form of stone but acts very differently with water. There was a distinct edging away from the guilty pair. A further test was applied—each Lumbwa was given a pinch of salt which had to be dropped in a glass of water. The white man’s magic, in this case, was to cause the wafer of the guilty man to boil. As each dropped in his salt relief appearer! on their faces until the guilty ones, carefully kept until last, caused the water to boil over the glass, thanks to Eno’s “Fruit Salt.” Terrific consternation was caused, and the whole gang bolted except the two guilty men who dropped on their knees and confessed their offence, offering to lay off the curse.

In two days the girls recovered but the great thing was that all the Kikuyu returned to work next day. Since then there has been no rival magic worker on the estate.